1. Field of the Invention
The field of this invention is computer managed learning systems (CMLS), also referred to as computer-assisted learning systems, computer-aided instruction, electronic learning systems, computer-assisted testing, and various other names. With respect to the present application, the term CMLS encompasses all uses of computer software and hardware to facilitate, expedite and organize educational and learning processes such as, without limitation, studying, reviewing, memorization, evaluation and self-assessment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many students find learning, particularly memorizing, large amounts of material to be a difficult, tedious and unpleasant chore primarily because their study methods are ineffective and inefficient. Such students typically struggle when it comes to taking examinations and frequently perform poorly even though they may be quite intelligent.
Boredom and lack of organization are two major barriers that must be overcome if a student is to achieve academic success. While boredom is often mitigated by motivating factors such as fear of failure or hope of potential rewards, lack of organization is more pernicious and usually a lot more difficult for students to overcome. Of particular interest in regards to organizing study time is the inability of some students effectively to differentiate material they have already mastered from material they haven't. Students have a natural tendency to focus more on material they like, which is usually material they already know, to the exclusion of more difficult material or material they do not like. One key to academic success i being able to differentiate the material one knows from the material one does not know. Only then can the student focus his or her attention most effectively.
These problems are exacerbated when students face college entrance examinations, professions school entrance examinations or professional bar or board examinations. Frequently, such examinations cover very large amounts of information that was originally presented over a number of years of course work, yet the material must be reviewed and memorized within a few weeks or months prior to the examination. The large amount of information to be memorized and the short time-frame for preparation make organization absolutely essential for success--wasting limited time reviewing information the student already knows can seriously undermine the student's efforts.
One time-honored method of overcoming such detrimental disorganization is the use of "flash cards," which are individual cards usually made of a stiff paper and having a question or stimulus printed on one side and the correct response printed on the other. When the student successfully answers a specific question correctly, that card is put into one pile, which cards with questions that were missed are put into a separate pile. Such rudimentary systems for organizing learning and memorization tasks have been known and used for many generations; however, more powerful methods can now be effected by the use of CMLS's.
CMLS's are valuable tools for learning and for preparing for examinations because they can be used to: 1) store and present information to be learned/memorized in an orderly fashion; 2) provide feedback to students regarding their progress in an absolute sense and relative to one another; 3) provide feedback to teachers and administrators regarding the progress of individual students or groups of students; 4) give direction to students in order to help them identify and overcome weaknesses.
Four essential elements comprise a CMLS: 1) one or more persons wishing to learn or memorize information, said person or persons being referred to herein as the "student(s)" or "user(s);" 2) the computer system, which includes hardware and software for effectuating data input data output, data storage, and data processing; 3) "information databases," which contain the material to be learned; and 4) "control databases" which contain descriptive and statistical data about, without limitation, the material to be learned, the student and the student's progress or status, and the class and its progress.
Three basic configurations of CMLS's are widely used:
(a) Stand-alone. The computer system is isolated from control or input from external sources other than the use. Such systems are most often designed for use with isolated (i.e., non-networked) personal computers and laptops. The operating programs and the databases are accessed locally and may be stored within the system or provided to the system on an ad hoc basis by means of a floppy disk or other portable storage media. Generally, only one student may access a stand alone system at a time. PA1 (b) Central control and storage. All operating programs are stored in and executed by a centrally located computer. Information and control databases are also stored centrally and are accessed through the centrally located computer. One or more students connect to the centrally located computer from computer terminals that are physically, and often geographically, remote from the centrally located computer. The students' remote terminals are used primarily to effectuate input, access the centrally located computer and display output sent from the centrally located computer. Little or no data processing and storage are carried out by the remote terminals. PA1 (c) Remote control and central storage. In this configuration information databases are stored in a centrally located storage device and accessed by operating programs running at one or more remote computers. The information to be learned is transmitted from the central computer to the remote computers. The information to be learned is transmitted from the central computer to the remote computers. Control databases may be stored in either the remote computer or in the central computer, in either case they are accessed and modified as necessary by the remote computer.
Various combinations, hybrids, and modifications of the foregoing three basic configurations are known and widely employed. Configurations (b) and (c) are favored for a number of reasons. For instance, when used in local area networks or with the Internet, these configurations allow multiple students to access a single database simultaneously and they allow information regarding the student population to be gathered and statistical analysis thereon to be performed easily.
Computer managed learning systems can be used to assist in learning any information that is amenable to being learned. Whatever configuration the CMLS assumes, the material presented by a CMLS is generally derived from compilations of information. These compilations are referred to in the present application as "sources." Although a source may take any conceivable format, in most cases it is a textbook or other authoritative re-statement of information that is generally accepted in the specific field that the student endeavors to master. The information itself may encompass such things as verifiable facts, theories, ideas, controversies, procedures, laws, systems, descriptions of nature and natural processes, and descriptions of human products, behavior, history, achievements, and technology.
CMLS's present information to the student in "units", which are called different things by different authorities, such as "blocks," "screens," or "pages." the term "unit" as used herein refers to a quantum of information that is to be learned. Frequently information databases are organized as a series of question-answer units called "items" in the parlance of the art. An item consists of a stimulus, which is a question or a statement, and a corresponding and appropriate answer. This format is referred to as a "question and answer format" even though the stimulus may be in the form of a statement instead of a question, for instance in "True/False" or "Yes/No" type items. The student's input, referred to herein as the "response," may be the process of choosing the best of two or more possibilities presented by the computer. This is often referred to as a "multiple choice" or "multi-choice" format. Multi-choice, Yes/No and True/False type of items are referred to as "objective items." Other types of items include "short-answer" in which the student's response is in the form of brief statement, and "essay" in which the student's response is more involved and more open-ended, often taking the form of a paragraph or essay.
Patents have been obtained on CMLS's that present units sequentially in a pre-determined order or in an order determined as a result of the interaction between the student and the computer. For instance, Haga et al., (U.S. Pat. No. 5,211,563) have obtained a patent on a CMLS in which the information is presented in "blocks," each block having a identifier that is used to link it to other relevant blocks in a manner that customizes the presentation to meet each individual student's needs.
Computer managed learning systems that employ information databases comprised of items, as opposed to blocks, generally present a stimulus first and then the student inputs his or her response. Finally the computer presents a correct answer, unless the system is being used to assess the student, in which case the answer is, for obvious reasons, not provided. Many CMLS's are capable of determining whether the student's response is correct, particularly if the items are the objective type. As of the present, short-answer and essay items are not widely used by CMLS's because the great variation and open-ended nature of the responses obviates computerized evaluation of the response.
More sophisticated CMLS's use the students' responses to calculate estimations of the students' mastery of the subject. In configurations (b) and (c) above, where many students access a central program and/or database, the CMLS may analyze the progress of a specific student relative to other students studying the same material, or the progress of the student population as a whole. Sophisticated CMLS's used for formal assessment have been patented in which the items are pre-ranked for difficulty and the system present an item of appropriate difficulty based on how the student has performed on previous items. Such a system is described by Lewis et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,059,127, Oct. 22, 1991). Another approach, which has been patented by Kurokawa (U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,823 Nov. 16, 1993), is to have the computer present items of varying difficulty based on the individual student's scholastic standing relative to other students studying the same material.